There are many sports traditions that simply bring warmth to life. The Masters, March Madness, basketball on Christmas Day.
And of course, Thanksgiving Football.
In the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Thanksgiving is bringing difficulties to some families. However, football will still be here for people to have their eyes on as they chow away on their Thanksgiving feasts.
Houston Texans (3-7) @ Detroit Lions (4-6). 11:30 a.m. CST (CBS)
The first game of Thanksgiving’s NFL slate features two teams that have been two of the most disappointing teams thus far this season.
However, all is not lost for either team. Even with records as poor as these two teams have, they can still make it to the playoffs. With this year’s crazy COVID-19 pandemic and regulations, the NFL has added another Wild Card team, making it where there will be 14 total teams in the NFL Postseason. The NFL also has a contingency saying that if any games get canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, the NFL will add yet another Wild Card team, sending half of the league to the Postseason.
For the Detroit Lions, they come off a very ugly performance against the Carolina Panthers, losing 20-0. Matthew Stafford struggled, throwing 18-33 for 178 yards and no Touchdowns. The Lions defense got shredded by a Carolina offense that was without their starting quarterback. If the Lions have any hope of beating the Texans, they need to be more consistent in all phases of the ball.
The Texans come off a good win against the greatly improved New England Patriots club. Deshaun Watson was electric, throwing 28-37 for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns. Watson also was the leading rusher for the Texans with 6 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. If the Texans can keep their offense rolling and if their defense can contain the Lions offense, I like their chances on Thanksgiving.
Washington Football Team (3-7) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-7) 3:30 p.m. CST (FOX)
Photo by the Dallas Morning News
“They are in the NFC East.” That is all you have to say for people to understand how poor a team has played this season. The best record in the NFC East belongs to the Philadelphia Eagles, which is 3-6-1. As unbelievable as it might be, the winner of this game will be in first
place of their division with only 4 wins.
This season has been an absolute whirlwind season for the Dallas Cowboys. They started off at a manageable 2-3 with an elite offense. That was before Dak Prescott suffered a gruesome season-ending ankle injury, setting their offense back immensely.
In the following four games, the Cowboys only scored over 10 points twice . Last week however, Andy Dalton and Ezekiel Elliott got the offense back on track with a good win over the surging Minnesota Vikings. Dalton went 22-32 for 203 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Elliott helped play
complimentary ball for Dalton by rushing for 103 yards on 21 carries. If Dallas wants to finish on top, they will have to try and repeat their success they had against the Vikings.
For Washington, they earned a good defensive win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week with a 20-9 victory. Rookie Chase Young out of Ohio State University has looked impressive so far this season, causing mayhem everywhere he goes on the field. The main headline for this
Washington squad is not Young though, it is the amazing story of recovery by their quarterback Alex Smith.
Smith’s career has been difficult. He has been to multiple different organizations and had some success, but always faced some postseason letdown of some sort. Most recently, Smith faced a potential career-ending injury. Smith fought his way through the injury and several surjeries and is now the starting quarterback for Washington.
So far, Smith has been a game manager. He makes plays when they need them, but when they have a lead, he does his job to not turn the football over. If Washington wants to pull the upset in Dallas, they will need to have a strong defensive showing.